The Triangle Complex
by Kitskune Miyake
Summary: A story about a couple you sure haven't heard of in a way you've never imagined. PxNxL
1. Chapter 1

AN: I conceived this particular idea when thinking about my two favorite yaoi couples in PJatO: Percy/Luke and Percy/Nico. I thought of the age differences in the two couples, and what would happen if the middleman was gone. What if there was no Percy, only Luke/Nico? Therefore, I pioneered the field and made this piece of trash. This is meant to be a one-shot...but if I get good response, I can turn it into a longer chapter story...possibly.

Warnings:

Homosexuality/ shounen-ai/ yaoi/ boy love/ man/man

Pedophile (adult/child) themes

OOC-ness

AU

Disclaimer: If I was Rick Riordan, why would I write this stuff that insulted my work?

* * *

**_Only a Few Years Apart_**

I shoved the younger boy against the cave wall by his neck. He had been foolhardy to attempt to come after me. Who would dare to challenge me, Luke Castellan, when it was obvious that no one could compare with my power? Maybe his sister's death was my ultimately my fault. I didn't expect that to stain my conscience.

"You bastard," he spat at me, "You mother-fucking bastard."

"Now, now," I mocked, "Why should an twelve-year-old know such words?"

His eyes burned with an irrepressible inferno. He tried to grasp for his blade of celestial bronze, possibly stolen from Camp Half-Blood, with his foot, but I lazily kicked it just barely past his reach. "I-I-I hate you!" he shrieked at me, his voice echoing revulsion beyond his age. He had collapsed into a fit of angry tears that seeped past his screwed-up eyes. I got irritated and pointed a knife at his throat.

"Shut up, you sniveling brat," I snarled. I pulled him up higher until his feet were off the ground. Soon, we saw eye to eye. I looked into the deep black pools and read them like a book. He was a total mix of bad emotions and vile intentions of murder. I saw something else in his eyes. Was it…attraction?

His expression revealed signs of strain as he attempted something. I pivoted around and saw the ground open up. Two skeletal soldiers from the Civil War crawled out and approached me. I glanced back at the boy. He gave the impression of vertigo and looked ready to pass out, which is exactly what happened. He fell against me and I tumbled backwards and bumped my head on the cool, stone tiled floor as our lips met.

His mouth was soft and sweet, but it was cold to the touch. I was in shock and the experience felt bizarre. It was only when a red-hot throb shot through my head signaled when I hit the floor and that I was still awake and part of reality. The boy's lips collapsed onto mine and I was enveloped in a sweet kiss. I kissed back, knowing that I would go to Tartarus for kissing the son of Hades. The experience was too short, and he snapped back from his otherworldly state. He realized what had happened, and what he was doing, but I pulled him into another kiss before he could react. His eyes widened as I became the first kiss of the only son of the Dead. I, who is older, stronger, and more experienced in the philosophy and psychology of love.

The skeletons were standing there without interest, not caring as flipped over suddenly. The child of Hell was under me before he could even think. I kissed him repeatedly, each step bringing me closer to the Fields of Punishment. Then, he kissed back unexpectedly. I bit down on his lower lip hard. He gasped and I took my opportunity and let my tongue dart into his mouth. I could taste the inside of his mouth, which was flavored like chocolate. Perhaps he had a Hershey's bar before he came in as an energy boost. It only made my experience sweeter. I ran my tongue on the roof of his mouth. He moaned slightly as our kiss deepened. I forgot all about the other girls I toyed with similarly: Annabeth, Silena, Kelli. None of them could compare to kissing this twelve-year-old child. I pressed my hips ever so slightly against his pelvis, and he gasped audibly as his back arched as a response to my touch. I slipped my hand under his back and pressed my palm flat. He pulled away from my lips.

"More," he rasped. I was all too happy to oblige.

I left a butterfly kiss against his jawbone under his left ear. He shuddered and begged again. I slipped my hand under his shirt and felt up his back, stopping where his baggy jeans began. I resisted the intense compulsion to wander past his denims and see what was underneath, for I will not only be going to Hell, but I shall also go to court for child rape or something like that. He slipped his hands under my oxford shirt and gently touched my chest. I shuddered unwillingly under his touch. He smirked and I cursed myself mentally for reacting so straightforwardly and unsurprisingly under this boy's spell, even though he is younger than me by ten years. Then again, he was born some fifty years or so before I was, so he was older, even though I was past puberty, and he has not even hit his growth spurt. He slipped his hand through my collar and flitted his fingertips across the nape of my neck. I shivered, merciless under his fingers.

We switched roles all night between _uke_ and _seme_, bottom and top, as one hot, steamy moment melted into another more passionate scene…

* * *

Sunlight streamed through the entrance of the cave I had stayed in. A massive headache rocketed off all the sides of my head. _What happened last night?_ I thought. _Oh wait, I remember Nico and…did I screw the kid last night_? I glanced at the adolescent, curled up against my exposed torso (although my slacks were still on). He was stark naked, but had curled in on himself so I could not see his private area. He stirred slightly, so I shifted to allow room for him to move. His arms wrapped lethargically around my hips, and he pressed his face against my thigh. I trailed my fingers along his bare spine and watched him shiver as my cold fingers dragged along his vertebrate. I pulled him up against my torso to keep him warm since there were no blankets or rugs to keep us warm. Pressing my face into his hair, I pressed my lips against his nappy hair slightly. I felt his eyelashes flutter as his eyes cracked open.

"What?" his sleep-clouded voice slurred. "Bianca, I'm cold." He snuggled closer to me.

"Hey there, cutie," I whispered as I kissed Nico yet again. He nestled closer to me, and I wrapped my arms protectively around him. He muttered into my skin and shut his eyes again.

He suddenly leaped back as his eyes shot open. "You," he whispered dangerously.

"What happened about last night? You said that you loved me," I playfully kidded, even though the last bit was true. I remember him saying that at some point in the long night. It may have been a romantic secret or a lustful utterance, but it was ammunition against him.

He continued to glare hatefully at me. "You…you took away my sister, my first kiss, my innocence, my- " he didn't finish, for he noticed his lack of clothing. He hastily pulled on red boxers thrown aside during last night's events. "I don't love you, I do _everything_ but love you. I hate you, Luke Castellan, as in the opposite of love. I _will_ kill you and deal with you myself in Hades."

I sighed. "Do you?"

"What?" he said, dropping the mercenary-who-needs-redemption attitude.

"Do you truly hate me? I doubt it," I continued, sharpening my tone. "If you think that love is the opposite of hate, then you're wrong. Hate is a negative form of passion, just as love is a positive form. Indifference is the opposite of love, for you do not care at all. If anything, last night I saw passion in you. That was the same passion, whether it is hate or love, that I' m attracted to."

He paused, probably not expecting me to be so much of a pedophile to say such words. I couldn't quite understand it much myself. I hated my parents, I turned away from all my friends, I broke the hearts of all my girlfriends, and closed up my heart to others; yet this twelve-year-old who probably hasn't even learned what 'menstruation' is could slip past all my defenses and get close to me.

"You're right, Luke," he said. "I have strong feelings for you. I just haven't decided if they're positive or negative."

"Tell me when you get it all figured out," I said to his back.

"Yeah," he said, glancing at his reflection in his sword, "I will." He paused. "What about you?"

"Huh?" I replied smartly.

"Find me when you sort this out."

"Until then," I said, offering my hand to him, "let's try not to kill each other. And don't tell anyone."

He hesitantly returned my handshake. I pulled him into a soft, warm hug. He seemed willing, if only for a few more seconds, to melt back into my body. I ran my fingers through his hair as I murmured comforting nonsense into his ear. The so-called nonsense was actually a bit of magic that would knock out a person. It worked, as I expected. Nico collapsed into my arms, no longer standing solidly. I carefully pulled on his shirt and carried him to Camp Half-Blood.

The journey was not very long. I cut a hole in the time-space continuum and arrived instantly inside the camp. (Yet another ability of a child of Hermes. How do you think he gets around so fast?) We were there before any campers were awake, so I laid him in the center of the U-shaped formation of the cabins. I hid behind the Hermes cabin and waited. Sure enough, Annabeth was the first one to wake up and walk to the bathroom. She spotted Nico despite the blur of shifting out of sleep.

"Nico!" she yelled out. He whipped back into consciousness and was soon enveloped in Annabeth's arms. "Where have you been, Nico? We all were worried about you. Are you hurt?" She went off into an affectionate ramble. He held up his hand and signaled for her to stop.

"I'm okay," he said. He caught my eye for a short second. "I was…with a friend."

* * *

GASP! This was so cute in my imagination. I also made some firsts, both personal and public:

First to write this couple

My first truly romantic scene

My first published yaoi fic that focused on the real people

My first attempt at dark and dreary

Like it or hate it? Voice your opinion, but I wanna tell you a story.

_ Once upon a time, a young author stood by Tartarus holding a bunch of papers. She had poured her soul into that document, a story, and had worked on it to fit he style. It was such a shame, but she knew her work didn't stand out much, and she wanted even less famous authors to get noticed. There she stood, waiting for the response of the viewers. _

_Ten bad responses before ten good ones would result in her dropping the document into Tartarus, never to be seen again. Ten0 good ones before ten bad ones, and she would walk away from Tartarus, never even putting it past her thoughts of bringing that document to the deepest pit on Earth. She knew why she would wait for response: because she hated bad literature. If the community dubbed her as bad literature, than she would get rid of it, so to purge the writing world of bad plot bunnies. It was only one step, but it would be one step closer to a better writing community._

_Just because she pulled away from Tartarus didn't mean that she didn't need improvement. Her writing is and always will be far from perfect. So she constantly edit, taking any useful suggestions. _

Remember this story when you write a review. I plan to hold good to my promise. Take the same promise to purge the world of bad writing by PM-ing me to join the Society for Stopping Bad Writing.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Due to the lack of fics like this, I guess I'll continue. Flames, comments, praise, etc. accepted.

Disclaimer: Me no own PJatO. If I did, it wouldn't have become successful.

I ambled without purpose around Camp Half-Blood. It had been three days after Nico's unexplainable appearance at Camp Half-Blood. He had behaved uncharacteristically, and his account of events was far-fetched and very questionable. Nonetheless, we trusted him because of a lack of any adequate evidence to back our case. After the big scene he caused, Nico continued his previous demeanor: furtive and ambiguous. I was desperate to learn the valid story, and he was equally desperate to stay silent about the events.

Lost in my thoughts, time lapsed. I didn't become aware about the lazy afternoon morphing into nighttime until I caught myself gazing into the lake at my reflection in the moonlight. I decided that now was a good time to head back to Cabin 3. I cut through a clearing, past the newly installed Cabin 13: the Hades cabin. After very good intimidating, corrupting, and quarrelling, the Lord of the Dead finally got his own cabin. I can't declare that I was exactly over the moon.

As I walked past the newest addition to the cabins, I sensed a rippling in the border. Camp had been breached! The wave of the effect practically knocked me over, so I assumed that the perpetrator was nearby. I holed up in the overgrown brambles of the Demeter cabin-which was bizarrely close to the Hades cabin-and waited for the wretched bastard to show his face.

A shadow made itself visible near the Hades cabin. The slimy shadow was none other than Luke! I was ready to jump out of the thorns and kick his worthless ass to kingdom-come (Hades is just as fine), but I had left _Anaklusmos_ inside Cabin 3. I cursed my foolhardiness; that was an amateur's mistake! Not being able to do anything, I squatted there unnoticed. Helpless, but camouflaged in the foliage, I watched Luke slip into Cabin 13 and deftly closed the door without a single noise. I crept in his footsteps after waiting a significant amount of time and peered through a window close to the door; it was opened enough to produce adequate audio.

"Really! You're here so soon?" Nico questioned. His voice was exasperated, and that was the only distinguishable emotion.

"Now, Nico," Luke purred lustily, "you know that I can't stay away _that_ long from you, not after what _we_ did. Why, I can't believe that you didn't come after me." I deemed myself severely dense because I didn't understand what the Hades was going on.

"I didn't know where you were," Nico spat icily, "and even if I did, why would I want to search for _you_?"

"I can sense it in you, Nicky," he goaded. "You want me _so_ badly that you're denying it. Maybe this will remind you why I'm here." He approached Nico and gently stroked his cheek. Nico flinched at Luke's touch, edging Luke on. "That's more like it," he whispered, his voice thickened with some emotion implying lust.

He thrust his lips forward roughly onto Nico, pressing the young adolescent against an obsidian wall. I breathed a sigh of relief as his slim back nearly evaded impalement on one of the spikes dotting the wall. Nico recoiled slightly, but eventually melted into the kiss, fusing himself with Luke. I watched in horror as Nico shoved his hand into Luke's pocket, probably encouraging the swelling lump in his jeans. Luke bucked his hips, forcing Nico against the wall hard. He yelped, a sound resembling a half-drowned kitten.

"More," he begged in a raspy voice, "bring it on."

"With pleasure," Luke responded passionately. He lowered his hands, which were tangled in Nico's unmanageable curls, onto Nico's hips. The son of Hades moaned unwillingly. That was when something in my head snapped into place, and I decided to take action, before even more of his innocence vanished.

I charged through the door, ignoring all the instincts and imaginary voices telling me to stay hidden "Why didn't the Aphrodite girls mention this to me? They know when all great porn is on TV," I remarked casually.

Luke leaped off Nico. He looked at me. "Percy," he snarled, "I never suspected that _you_ of all people to be a kink."

"And I never thought you'd be a pedophile, but I guess we're both wrong," I said evenly. Inside, my brain had pretty much melted. All I had assumed to always stay the same was wrong.

"Percy, why are you in the Hadescabin?"

"That's what I was going to ask Luke." I kept an innocent touch to my voice. This provoked them even more.

"Make like a tree and leave," Nico spat harshly. I winced inwardly so I wouldn't prove to them both that his words had any effect on me. I turned around and headed for the door.

"Farewell, you two. I'm off to the Aphrodite cabin. Gossip like this is so interesting to them." I moved slowly towards the door, not sure whether or not I could back up my words. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Luke move with a speed that rivaled his father and blocked the door.

"I wouldn't do that just this moment," he said darkly. His clear blue eyes, eyes I had trusted so long ago with my life, sparked angrily with a heated flame of some emotional mix I couldn't decipher.

"And why would that be?" I said.

"They'll want an explanation for the tousled look." _What tousled look?_ I glanced in the glassy surface of the obsidian. My hair was slightly uncombed, but not messy. I looked calm, even. My clothes were surprisingly unwrinkled. I could hardly categorize that as "tousled".

Without any warning, Luke hurdled onto me, knocking me to the floor. I banged my head violently. My nerves screamed out. Before I could yell, Luke imposed his lips onto mine. The force behind it was suppressing, and I could visualize the bruise I would get. All the blood rushed to my face in a crimson blush. I could feel the older blonde's tongue run roughly over my lips. He took advantage of my gasp to shoot his tongue in. I could taste synthetically sweetened Coke in my mouth, even though the last time I had Coke was around two months ago. At that point, I clambered into the lingering reserves of common sense left in my head and shut out the outer world.

Despite the Coke flavoring, the whole encounter was revolting. It all ended when Nico pulled Luke off me. I looked into the reflective wall. My hair was a mess; my face was flushed; my clothes were crumpled; there was a freaking huge hickey at my jawbone. I was officially the definition of "tousled". There was absolutely no way I could lie successfully about what had just occurred. The Aphrodite girls knew the signs of a make-out session. Since Annabeth was at Olympus, repairing it from the battle that left the great palace in shambles, they would press-gang me into revealing who had recently gotten close enough to Percy Jackson to hickey him. If I named a girl at camp, Annabeth would exterminate her. If I told the truth, my hero reputation would dissolve into that of a traitorous homo. If I named another boy or a creature/ monster, well that's worse than telling the truth.

"We're in a stalemate, Jackson," Luke said triumphantly.

"Luke," Nico whined, "you said that you would pressure any eyewitnesses into not tattling, not rape them through their clothes."

"Sorry, I got out of control, baby. Look, Jackson, don't tell anyone about Nico and me. If you do, Nico here will reveal the origins of that hickey. I'm afraid that no amount of cover-up will hide that truth."

"You wouldn't." The color drained out of my rosy face.

"I would, Percy," Nico whispered, "that's how much it means to me." He gave me a look of child-like innocence. "Don't tell them, Percy. Please."

I gulped. I couldn't say no to him right now. Nevertheless, not turning him in would put the camp at risk. Letting Luke into Camp Half-Blood was a safety risk. If I did tell Chiron, Nico would hate me forever if I told, and I don't need any more enemies; Kronos and his army are enough.

"Okay," I choked out, "I won't tell."

Nico gave me a heartwarming glance of boundless gratitude; Luke gave me a hateful glare. I don't blame him. Trusting your worst enemy with knowledge of a secret affair with an adolescent boy when you are over twenty years old is not exactly very reassuring. It was obvious that he wanted more insurance than my word with no oath.

"No need to worry. I recently appealed to the gods to stop watching us as if we were cable TV. Now, gods can't spy on us anymore with their little spies and cameras. They have to find us themselves. What?" I said to an amazed Nico, "The gods use little cameras and discreet animal spies to check up on us. Didn't you know that?" _Apparently he didn't._

Luke's glare softened slightly. "I'll have to take your word, Jackson. But I want you to swear on the River Styx that you won't tell anybody about this."

"I'm not gonna," I said, "because, you're gonna have to have confidence in me. If you two lover boys expect me to keep to my agreement, I want your confidence. And no breathing down my neck about it." I wasn't exactly sure what made me put up those terms.

"Why should we trust you?" Luke's allegation rattled my brain. He was right, of course. They had little reason to put faith in me. After all, I was Percy Jackson, the "Golden Boy of the Gods".

"Because when this becomes dangerous, I need to be able to tell someone. Besides, this is strategically the best invasion plan. You can familiarize yourself with camp while being with Nico. I don't want to risk my own family to another siege. We are too dispersed to act efficiently. I'm gonna need _you_ to swear that you won't use this as a chance to hurt anybody in this campground in any way."

Luke gritted his teeth and looked just about ready to slice me in half. _Good job, Percy_, I thought, _you have possibly just signed your death warrant._

"Fine," he said. "I swear on the River Styx to not use my visits here as a chance to cause harm to anyone at Camp Half-Blood. Happy now?" He looked annoyed, which is not a reassuring indication when aforementioned irritated person is wielding a celestial bronze blade. His palms were up in a contemptuous replication of submission.

"Okay, everything good? Great! Now leave, Jackson," Nico optimistically chirped as he shepherded me out the door. The door echoed resoundingly as the child of Death closed the door on me. I peered one more time through the window. The two seemed to be conferring. I looked away, took a deep breath, and looked once more through the darkly tinted window, just to make sure that Nico was still safe. This time, Nico had pulled the older demigod down to his height, close to his lips. I averted my gaze, not risking more observations. Risking any more surveillance tonight would risk my well being more than I am willing to put on the line.

Something sharp with a nauseating aftertaste surged in my throat. I fought back the urge to vomit at that moment as I walked past the Demeter cabin's well-trimmed bushes. I put a hand on my forehead and steadied myself against the Demeter cabin. Leaning against the leafy cabin was reassuring somehow, and I gathered the energy to walk back to Cabin Three. When I got there, I stripped down and collapsed onto one of the beds. I gave my mind a few moments to drown in incomprehensible thoughts. I lay in bed for the remaining hours of darkness, consumed in thoughts of what had just happened.

_Why should I care so much about Nico?_ I repeated this mantra in my head, eventually vocalizing it to an empty cabin. I heard no response. _You obviously care about him more than you think. _This unattractive accusation drifted in and out of my sleepless analysis of that night's events as Apollo drove across the horizon. I lay in my bed still, not sure what to think of or do as the rest of the morning passed.

At some point, I dragged my exhausted body out of bed and primped myself until I was seemingly normal. I wasn't so blanched, and any signs of Luke's attack on my innocence had disappeared. I mentally thanked Annabeth for being careless one night and leaving a tube of cover-up at Cabin Three. Lunch had only started when I strolled up to the pavilion. Nobody paid attention to me with much inquisitiveness, except perhaps Nico. His eyes flashed warningly as I made my way to the Poseidon table. My face heated up under his glare, but every time I looked in his direction, he glanced away. I spent lunch toying uneasily with my food. Throughout the day's activities we were separated, yet his presence lingered around me somehow.

I couldn't stand it: his glares, his atmosphere, everything! His whole self was seriously ticking me off those next few hours. I was in the Poseidon cabin when I lost all rational thought and punched something out of stress. Unfortunately, that something was not the door to my cabin. It had been opened, and standing there was Nico.

"Holy shit," I muttered. Blood dribbled from his nose. It didn't seem so centered anymore, and I felt the guilt of his broken nose weighing on my conscience.

"Dammit! What the hell, Jackson?" he hollered, not bothering with subtleness. I dragged him into my cabin and slammed the door shut. I flipped a couple of switches, and the cabin went into lockdown.

Nico had burst into strings of curse words. I didn't dwell on the fact that he knew so many curses in around maybe twelve languages. I scooted a stool next to the saltwater fountain and plopped Nico into it. He was sullen, but he had finally stopped yelling like Apollo was chasing him with flaming arrows (not that that's happened to me…).

"Shut up and stay still," I commanded. He complied. My hand changed position and gently cupped his cheek. He trembled slightly at the intimate contact, but didn't flinch. I plunged my free hand into the fountain and felt energy rush forward through me. The bruises on my knuckles faded, as did the rest of my blemishes. I felt some of that healing power transfer through my fingertips and spread through Nico's face. His nose snapped back into position and stopped bleeding so profusely until it finally stopped. When he had healed a considerable amount, I let go of him and pulled my hand out of the saltwater. I was hit with a wave of drainage and collapsed on the floor. I let myself black out as my lack of sleep catch up to me as I passed out from absolute exhaustion.

When I awoke, a pretty face was hanging over mine, silhouetted by the harsh lights of the cabin. It was hard to make out the features well.

"Annabeth," I croaked, "when did you look so young?"

I heard a throaty laugh. "Jackson, I'm touched that you think I'm pretty enough to be Annabeth, but I don't think she'll appreciate being called old." _Whoops, not Annabeth. _

"Nico?"

"Yeah, that's me. And thanks a lot for breaking my nose." Oh, right.

"Crap, Nico, sorry for that. I was just frustrated and I didn't think you'd be standing there and…wait, why were you there?"

"I just, ah, wanted to-oh gosh…" he stumbled. He took a deep breath and exhaled before starting again. "I wanted to know why you tried to stop Luke and me last night. Why did you interfere?"

All physical processes, including sensible thinking, stopped. I wasn't certain about how to counter, but I would try my best. "Well, um, you're like only thirteen years old. Luke is an adult male. I'd be dim-witted to watch my own friend _and_ cousin go through such an experience. We're family; that's what family does." I smiled slightly to myself, hoping my slick persuasiveness could pull me through.

His eyes narrowed. "You lie."

"What?" I exclaimed, flabbergasted.

"You didn't do that because we're family. What did you do when Travis was kidnapped? You didn't get flustered the way you did when you saw me. What did you do when Katie passed to my father's realm? You went to the funeral, but didn't have too much of yourself in that moment. So why did you act different for my sake? I doubt it's because we're family. If anything, it's because you love me."

My heart stopped cold. "How dare you accuse me of such! Nico, you are my cousin, therefore I do love you. However, what you're implying is debauched. What you are implying is incest!" His words hit me hard. Something in my brain switched on, and all my thoughts started piecing together. When I had interfered earlier in the play of events between Nico and Luke, I wasn't sure why the Hades I did that. Now that Nico said presented his thoughts, my brain took all the events, snapped them together like a puzzle, and spelled out my thoughts:

I was in love with my thirteen-year-old cousin.

No, I couldn't be. It was wrong. I couldn't be. I was Percy Jackson; I had a girlfriend. Then again, I had a couple of bisexual tendencies, but they were small matters that went wrong. It's not my fault that some campers had almost no alcohol tolerance (not that we did underage drinking…).

"What does incest matter when you're a god? The gods did it with each other. How else did we get Hephaestus and Ares? What about Persephone? Even the Titans practiced incest! Just being in a relationship with other demigods is incest. It's no big deal."

"You're right," I admitted, "there is a lot of incest in this seriously screwed family. What bothers me is that you are accusing me of loving you even though we are _cousins_. Most demigods have twisted relationships with each other. We are clearly cousins; it doesn't matter how many ways you try to perceive the situation. You are also a boy; that is vulgar."

"You should be one to comment on that, Jackson. How many times have you gotten so drunk that you kissed one of the many eligible bachelors at camp parties?"

My ears went crimson at the smug look on his face. He appeared so triumphant that I couldn't tolerate it.

"I do not love you that way, di Angelo. Just because you've ensnared the sympathy and love of Luke Castellan, who happened to be the Camp Half-Blood hot guy, doesn't make me attracted to you," I stated unemotionally, trying fervently to hide the commotion of sentiments and notions under the facade.

"Is that so?" he said unrelentingly. "You really don't feel anything past the usual mutual family caring? I doubt that." He turned around, and then launched himself at me. He forced his lips onto mine. He was rough and passionate, behaving in manners way past his assumed adolescence and innocence. I fell back against the bed; Nico straddled me and kept me pinned on the bunk. His tongue ran over my lips and while they melted into jelly, he forced his tongue into my mouth. I could taste blueberry sour straws, my favorite candy on Earth. This was nothing like kissing Luke. This was a hate-free, all-passion lip-lock; I loved every second of it. I never wanted to leave where I was. I entwined my fingers in his hair and cupped his face with my other hand. At that moment, he pulled away.

"Look at me, Percy," he commanded, "look at me and tell me that you didn't feel anything."

I looked at his face, his angelically beautiful face, and said nothing. He smirked.

"I thought so." With those words, he got up and left my cabin.

Well, this was fun to write. Expect more, unless I'm bombarded with demands to remove this story.

_**Current stats**_

Flames: 0/10

Praise: 1/15

Change these stats by adding a flame or praise. If I get 10 flames before 15 good comments (I call it praise), the story leaves forever. If I get fifteen good comments before the 10 flames, this story will stay forever.

No pressure.

~KitskuneMiyake~


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Just survived a dull trip to California. In my opinion, it was boring. Anyways, I am done with school, vacationing, and social life. I am going back to writing.

AN2: Reached my quota of good reviews. Feel free to shoot me down, coz this is never coming off the site.

AN3: As one of my readers pointed out, the last chapter was kinda fancy in language. That's because my computer "grades" my writing from 0.1 to 10+. I wanted a nice, high rating, so I thesaurus'ed my writing. Not exactly the best idea, but my plot came across, right?

PJACfan: The rating will not raise. I am a twelve-(going on thirteen)year-old who hasn't even taken that lesson on sex. I am grabbing this sex stuff out of other fanfictions that I read.

**Disclaimer: Yaddayadda, read the first chapter.**

After I kissed Percy, proving that he had some form of love or lust for me (scary…), I went into a zombie-like state. I don't know what came over me. Everything was so mechanical, so meaningless. Food didn't taste like anything, and nothing seemed to energize or tire me out. I went through the procedures of life with no real emotion: fighting, scaling the rock climbing wall, even taking a dump. Nothing, not even when all my clothes mysteriously disappeared after I took a shower.

On Wednesday, I climbed into bed and something poked me in the back. I rolled over and found a folded piece of paper. "Damned paperwork," I growled. It was nearly curfew. I opened it up, and inside was a scrawled message.

Be here Sunday. I've got a treat for you. –L.-

I didn't need a signature to know who wrote this. I was ecstatic; Sunday was only four days away. The former spunk went back into my routine. I attacked viciously in battle; I ate as voraciously as I used to; everything was back to normal. Thursday dragged on, and so did Friday. Saturday felt like time was passing through honey. I never thought Sunday would come. I faked feeling ill so I could sit in my cabin and wait for Luke to come, 'coz I didn't know when exactly he was coming.

I was feeling confident in the morning. By noon, my sureness wavered a little. By dusk I was despairing. Then there was a knock on the door. I rushed up to swing it open and take Luke into my arms…

Oh, wait, it was just Percy.

He was holding a Snickers bar (devious) and a Sprite (doubly devious!). "Hope you're feeling better," he said. He tossed me the junk food. "It may worsen your condition, but junk food is great for the soul." I bit into the Snickers bar, paper and all, spit out the wrapper, and just about swallowed the chunk whole. How right you are, I thought.

"So," he said, sitting on the bunk next to me, "how're ya doing? I thought I'd check in on you. You seemed so sad, then you were happy; what's gotten into you?" I didn't answer. "Fine, I won't pry, but I know you're up to something, and that something involves _Luke_." He said that last word with so much hate and contempt that I nearly launched at him and broke his nose. I had to stay under control, otherwise he'd know.

Now that he mentioned it, where was Luke? I was waiting all day for him. Had he stood me up? Was I just a toy to him? Because I'm no toy for _anybody_. I was angry and sad at the same time. I looked out the window again. Where the Hades is he?

"If you're waiting for Luke," Percy said, "you're wasting your time." Then he glanced at his pocket.

"You monster!" I yelled. Then I leaped at him and broke every bone in his pretty-boy body. Yep that's what happened _in my imagination_. Catch on, folks. I couldn't do that to my cousin, at least not with fourteen Olympian gods watching our every move. So I took revenge in a way that would have made Aphrodite swoon.

"You're right," I sighed dramatically. "Luke's not coming home. Look's like I'll need to find a new lover." I looked Percy up and down, focusing on _that_ part. "You'll do." I launched at him, forcing my fingers into his hair and getting them tangled up in his locks. He almost cried out. I jammed my lips over his, and he choked on his words.

"Don't you dare scream," I threatened, "or I will rip out your virginity." Wow, what the Hades was I thinking when I said that. Talk about dumb! But Percy was scared, really scared. Yet there was this unmistakable glow in his eyes when I said that, almost as if he…wanted me to. Eew, yuck! He's my cousin; that's disgusting.

Almost as if on cue, he said, "Go ahead, Nico. Try at it. I dare you to." My act faltered and collapsed. I truly realized what he was saying. I fell backwards and hit the floor hard, and my nerves screamed out in pain. Percy slinked out of the bunk and practically slithered onto me. I tried to act disgusted, but it didn't work out that way.

"You know you want this," he hissed seductively. "And it's all yours." I hated it, but he spoke some truth. I _wanted _ him to be mine. He would be my secret affair. Luke didn't have to know. So I let Percy love me. I was his and he was mine. Anyways Luke never came around for that Sunday meeting. I was almost beginning to forget about him. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't. Me and Percy, the whole thing was just a drug, something to help me escape the real world. Every night I waited vainly for him to come. He never did.

Was this love? Waiting on your lover, expecting the worst. Pain, misery, and insomnia: all because you can't find him. Was he with someone else? Did he forget me? Why did he leave me here? The feeling that you've been stabbed in the heart when he didn't make good on his promises. What happened to the sugary, warm feeling? Why was it replaced with the presumption that all hell was going to break loose? For most people it was only severe emotions creating that hellish intuition. For me, it was reality.

It was on that fateful Friday, five days later, that all hell broke loose. Note that I said "hell." Hades was definitely a lot less eviler than what happened.

Anyways, there was a field trip. Big whoop. I've seen that place too often to want to go back. Percy never wants to go back. Anybody know where? If you guessed Hades, you're correct, but the only prize is me continuing.

Most of the camp went, because not too many people have seen Hades on an up-and-personal level, like Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and me. Percy and I opted to stay behind and "hold down the fort." That's my Percy: he could come up with just about any good excuse when needed. We swathe bus off. Annabeth _still_ hadn't come back from Olympus, so everything was fairly quiet. We waited until the bus had disappeared into the early dawn horizon before doing anything.

He slung his arm around my waist and tilted me off slightly so that I fell backwards. From afar, this looked pretty romantic. For me, this was an unwanted trust fall. "So, my love," he said, "what are we gonna do today?" He glanced off into the forest, probably checking for enemy attacks, and then kissed me. He tangled his free arm in my hair and tapped the back of my knees with his foot. I fell backwards, and he caught me with his knee. He bent down and deepened the kiss. The whole affair was messy and gaudy. Most of the time, his kisses were soft, ticklish, and personal. Today, he acted as if this was some melodrama with an audience.

There was a rustle of branches, a thud on the ground, and the thumps of footsteps that were slowly fading. Now it made sense. Percy had been on the lookout for enemies when he glanced at the forest. He was looking for enemies in_ love_. Now he was just claiming territory. I was disgusted at the whole display. Why couldn't he man up and just do a big macho confrontation with Luke? I centered my balance on his thigh, let go, and reached for the knife hidden in the cuff of my jeans. I knocked him back with the hilt, and then ran after Luke.

Misery was on my side, because he had stopped and broken down. It was so unlike him that it nearly broke my heart to see him cry. I went to his doubled-up body and held his head in my lap.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, over and over again, "I didn't mean to hurt you.

He looked up, and his face contorted with rage. "Go away, you two-faced liar!" he cried at me. He tucked his head back in, but I tilted it up again.

"I didn't mean to do this to you," I said. Irritation flooded through me. "You never made good on your promise! Why shouldn't I leave you? Where the hell were you?" The accusations came pouring out like the Great Flood in the Bible. The tears went the same way.

Luke's expression softened. "I didn't mean to hurt you, love. Some being or another mugged me. It was bad, 'coz I had to go to the hospital." I took a closer look at him. The doctors did a good job, because I could barely see the stitches. I lifted up his shirt; his torso was as bruised as a tomato in a bingo tumbler on high speed. I held him closer.

"I'm sorry," I whispered again.

"Don't be," he said. "This wasn't your fault. It's my own damn fault for being so careless."

I held him there. "Don't ever scare me like that."

"I won't," he said, "because I'm never leaving you out of my sight."

I held him, and we enjoyed the silence together. It didn't last long.

"I guess this is it," Percy said. He stared at the two of us with so much hate and anger that I didn't believe it was him.

"Percy," I murmured.

"It's okay," he said, mocking happiness, "I'm used to being second-best. First to Annabeth, now to you. That's all I'll ever amount to be: a play toy to those I love the most."

"Then stop getting into a damned relationship," Luke said. "Jackson you are the biggest baby that I know. You could take on the Titan army in battle, but one knick in the heart, and it's time to fall apart. I've never met anyone so weak."

Percy just stood there, shaking, before he ran off. He tossed back on look at me, a look of unrequited love, even though Luke was there. He tossed another look at Luke with hate, fury, and something else I couldn't read.

I looked back at Luke. I didn't see the man I fell in love with. I saw a cold, ruthless bully. I couldn't believe him.

"Why the hell did you do that?" I muttered angrily.

"Huh, s'cuse me?"

"Why were you so mean to him? Was it that necessary to break him down like that?"

"Nicky, I had to do that. I hated every second of that."

"Didn't seem like that to me."

"Maybe I didn't hate saying that. I was just telling him to back off. If I didn't, he'd still come after you. He's desperate. I'm just making sure I don't lose my greatest treasure." I stared at him hard; I could tell that he was keeping something from me.

I knew something was up, but I'd need time to think about it.

This one is a little longer than the others.

Review, and all that crap.


	4. Chapter 4

Must. Write. Something. The only time I can update is summer and any vacation days that parents aren't at home. So I'm going through this stuff as fast as I can.

Disclaimer: No matter how many fairy godmothers I conjure, I can't own _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_.

STORY_STARTS_HERE

Love is as agonizing as death itself. You can have your own opinions, but this is mine. You always here about how love completes you, how it invigorates your soul. Well, that's bullshit jewelers and candy salespeople created in order to make big bucks on the holidays. When you have to admire the one you love through a window or from a distance, love isn't a warm, tickling feeling. Distance makes love turn into anxiety, jealousy, and paranoia. Has anyone ever told you that about love?

My situation wasn't exactly very sunny. It was kind of like eating your chocolate bar and loving it, but harshly finding out that you were allergic to chocolate. I love Nico with everything that I am, but Percy had gotten to him. No matted how many times he said that he loves me, there will be a little part of him that belonged to Percy.

I'm done with Percy getting every _one_ that he wants. It's my turn for happiness, and I won't give him the chance to intervene. Even if it means being a bit unfair…

I walked right up to Cabin Three. There was Jackson the Asshole. He was throwing his sword, High Tide or something, at the wall. I knocked, and he answered

"Jackson," I said resolutely, "I am sick and tired of this."

"Tell me about it," he said unhappily. "Nico really should just dump you. I mean, do you really not have a lover. With the typical all-American face and hot body, I think that he should have a girl or boy, as the situation proves, by his side."

I wasn't listening. "Die, you bastard." With that, Backbiter was out of my unseen hilt and headed for Percy's throat. The snaky bastard hit the ground fast, flipped the cap of that stupid pen, and swung at my shins. As the pen whipped around, it transformed into that sword of his, the glinting bronze edge heading for my knees. I jumped and swung his sword at him. He jumped up, blocked my thrust, and parried the blow. I decided to use a dirty trick that had fooled me once before. I fell backwards, and started crying, like I was breaking down. It may sound like a stupid move, but Jackson stopped before Dipride went through my guts. He decided to take some time to gloat.

"Any last words, bitch?" He sneered at his cowering body.

"Yeah," I said. "Go back to dating Annabeth. Nico's mine." With that, a blow was sent to the hilt. Putting all reliance on instinct, I knocked the sword out of his hand. What an idiot! I'd fallen backwards; that didn't mean that I lost my sword. Now he was going to pay for that mistake.

Then that cheating idiot reared his leg back and aimed a kick at my manhood. I let out a gasp and fell to the floor, panting. "Damn you, Jackson. You'd pull a dirty trick like that."

"Shut up and suck it," he retorted. I recognized that insult all too well, and did what I usually did when I heard it.

"I didn't think that you wanted me to," I said nastily. I reached for the button of my jeans and…

"What the fucking gods are you two doing?" That yell broke the awkwardness as we both snapped our heads towards the door. Nico stood there, his hands shakily reaching for his sword. "Don't you dare touch him, Luke, or I will kill you." That snapped me back to reality. I reached for my sword and sheathed it in the hilt behind my left leg.

"He started it," Percy whined. "He came in and tried to kill me and—"

"Wait," Nico looked at me. "You tried to kill him? Why?"

"You're doing this to yourself, Nico." I said in an unexpected burst of eloquence. "You won't pick one of us, so we're deciding for ourselves. Pick one of us, and get on with it; otherwise, you'll be dealing with this everyday."

Nico paused, looked as if he was going to say something rude, then decided against it. "Okay," he said. "I want five days to figure it out. Until then, don't kill each other."

I thought we were going off easy, but then he said, "Bad dogs need punishing, and I know the perfect one. Kiss each other or I won't take either of you as my own." I looked at Nico, then at Percy, then at Nico again.

"You have got to be kidding me," I said.

"I'm not," Nico said evilly, "now kiss each other. Unless you want a different punishment." He reached for that Stygian blade of his.

I swept Percy into my arms in a corny fairy-tale manner. "If I have to do this, I'm making this fun." Percy swung his leg around and hit me on the back of my knees. My knees buckled, and I fell to the ground, dropping Percy. He flipped around so he was on top and straddled my hips.

"So will I," he said. Before I could do anything about this position, he forced his mouth onto mine and hormonal instinct took over. I grabbed his hair and pulled him down to me. His mouth tasted like spearmint toothpaste; mine probably tasted like the orange I ate earlier. Even though we were kissing, there was absolutely no love between us. It was a fight for dominance, and as far as I was concerned, I was winning.

I will not say that he is a good kisser when I know I was better than him at age 9. But when he pulled away, there was this strange feeling in my chest. Could it be? No, it couldn't. It must have been heartburn from the Mexican food I ate last night.

"There," said Nico triumphantly. "Now tomorrow, you two are treating me out. We're going to the carnival!" Damn, this kid is gonna drive me broke.

END_OF_STORY

AN: It's shorter than other chapters, but I had to go through my set rotation of POVs before I can get to a very dramatic part.

SPOILER WORDS: Popsicle, indecision, fire breather.

These three words play a big part in the next chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Disregard the final note from the last chapter. I totally rewrote this bit. Be patient, the good part is coming. 

Disclaimer: Percy Jackson isn't mine.

0000000-00—00

I dropped by Nico's cabin around 9:00 A.M., hoping to beat Luke there. Apparently there was no such luck.

"Dammit, Luke!" I heard Nico shout from the inside. "There's no way that the other campers will be back for at least another week. You absolutely do NOT have to sleep in my cabin. And my bed and clothes are totally off limits!"

"You're such a spoilsport, Nicky," Luke said. "It was a joke."

"USING MY CLOTHES AS A GODDAMNED MOP IS NOT FUNNY! Besides, it's totally your fault that you wet the bed.

"I didn't wet it like a five-year-old," Luke countered.

"Okay, just shut up now. Gross, I have to change the sheets on that bunk. They're all sticky." Nico made a rude noise, and I took that as a cue to go in.

"Everybody ready? I'll pay the cab fare if we leave now."

"Sorry, Percy," Nico said apologetically, "but I don't have any clean clothes. Can I borrow some?" He was shirtless, and the sunlight provided such a beautiful glow to his body. I could have stared all day.

"I need some, too," Luke said. He was sitting up in Nico's bed wearing nothing but boxers. At least I hope he was. A blanket obstructed anything below the torso.

"Sorry, but I don't have any clothes that fit either of you. However, I think I know where you guys can get clothes: the Aphrodite cabin!"

"What?" Nico said skeptically.

"No way," Luke muttered.

"The girls there told me that there's a closet there that provides any clothes that you want in any size."

"I think that's a hint, Jackson. Get a sense of style," Luke teased.

Nico ignored the comment. "We lucked out so much! Since everyone nearly got arrested, they're all on the run. They won't be coming back for a while, so it'll be a breeze breaking into their cabin. Those Aphrodite kids never lock their doors."

"And you know that how…" I said, hoping that he was right.

"Never mind that," Nico said, his face pinking slightly. "Let's get ready so that we can leave."

Luke and I trailed behind Nico. That pervert had soiled his pants and had ended up wrapping a bed sheet around his waist. After pushing past the unlocked door, I searched for the right door. The closet was behind what felt like a mirror covered in cloth. The sheet fell off when I pushed it aside. Nico jumped back slightly, tensing his muscles as if a monster was going to jump out of his reflection.

"You silly," I scolded him lightly. "Nothing's gonna jump at you." It must have been a defected mirror because Nico's reflection didn't show up. Of course there was another option, but it didn't seem very plausible that a boy who trained outside in the sun at least eight hours a day would be a vampire.

"No freaking way," Luke mouthed.

"What is it?" Nico said.

"This is the 'Mirror of Fated Love.' Aphrodite gave it to a clear-eyed mortal decades ago. The story is that the mirror would show his true love amongst his many suitors. If this works, a person would only see himself or herself and their true love when he or she looked at it. The man saw a beautiful girl that wasn't among the women he was courting. He turned them all down, even though they were very rich. He ended up finding true love with a homeless girl that tried to pickpocket him. They turned out to be soul mates, and they lived happily ever after. After he died, the mirror was lost to time and repo men. "

_No way_ I thought. _I didn't see Nico. I saw _Luke_. There is no freaking way that I will end up with him. Maybe the mirror is broken._

"Some people aren't meant to find true love in this world; they end up seeing themselves with nobody. Others have found true love with somebody whose true love is someone else."

"What horrible fates!" Nico said, obviously appalled.

"I know," I said. "To wander through life, waiting for "the One," only for it to be destined that you have no true love on this Earth…" I trailed off, not wanting to think about it.

Luke, being the mood-killer that he is, said, "So now's the time to decide, Nico. Look in the mirror and tell us who you see."

"No way, Luke! If I do that, I'll have one less person to take me to the amusement park. Now let's get dressed and leave." He seemed to be in a hurry, so I was a bit worried about what he saw. Maybe he just didn't want to offend either of us. On the other hand, maybe he saw both of us. Then again, what if it was…

"Ready!" Luke declared. I (grudgingly) have to admit that he dressed stylishly. With a blue oxford shirt open over a white T-shirt and clean, unwrinkled jeans, he was definitely a nominee for "Best Dressed" in a high-school yearbook. Nico popped out next to him wearing a clean black T-shirt and black jeans with his classic skull ring on his right thumb. A less tattered version of his aviator's jacket was wrapped around his waist, and aviator goggles around his neck. He looked like some anime kid. I felt kinda dorky compared to them in my Hollister shirt and slightly ripped jeans. In my opinion I looked like just about all the teen mortals in America.

"Y'all don't mind if I get different clothes, do you?"

"No problem."

"Nope."

I went into the giant walk-in closet and thought about an outfit that I really wanted. I walked out wearing an aquamarine V-neck over a gray long-sleeved shirt. I exchanged my jeans for some tan cargo pants that were a bit too short. I decided on a shark tooth necklace to complete the look.

"You really clean up, Jackson," Luke said. That may be the closest thing to a compliment he had ever paid me about my outfit.

"Wow, Percy, you're a total chick magnet in that," Nico said. I reddened slightly, knowing that there was only one person I wanted to attract, and it certainly wasn't a girl.

"Let's get going," I said.

Since nobody had a car, we summoned the Gray Sisters Cab. We split the cost and held on for the ride of our lives. After the hell ride stopped at the carnival, we took a few minutes to steady ourselves before buying our tickets.

"Have a nice day," the lady at the booth said. Thus began the day at the amusement park.

The lines were long, and the rides were either lame or absolutely terrifying because those rides probably haven't gotten a safety check in years. After just barely surviving a rickety roller coaster, Nico decided to just quit with the rides. I was happy to agree.

We ended up just walking around and stuffing our faces with the most unhealthy foods ever consumed by half-mortals. It was so great to get away from the health diet at Camp Half-Blood. Sorry, nymphs, but nothing can beat the taste of a hot dog with everything on it.

Luke was sucking on a Popsicle, but he couldn't just leave it at that, the stinking pervert. I finally snapped and said, "Could you be any less disgusting? Popsicles are a family treat."

"What are you talking about, Percy?" he replied oh-so innocently. Nico, sadly, had decided to try his luck at the dunking booth. Gods, why doesn't he ever see this stuff?

Luke and I had been loitering around for twenty or so minutes before Nico came back carrying a stuffed bear about half as tall as him. Demigods are tall, so this stuffed toy was enormous. Nico yawned, and then said, "I'm tired. Why don't you two do something while I rest a while? Check out that tent over there for me." He pointed to a large, colorful circus tent. Just looking at the bright yellow and orange cloth gave me a headache.

Luke grabbed my arm and started dragging me towards the tent, saying, "You heard Nicky. Let's go."

I protested for him to let up on the dragging, but the douche bag doesn't listen. I somehow made it to the tent entrance in one piece, but there was godforsaken long line. Luke and I ended up standing there for nearly an hour before actually seeing the "15 more minutes left" sign. I didn't quite know what was going on, but whatever was beyond that tent flap had attracted a bunch of people. Luke was flirting with some other girl in line, so I spent those fifteen minutes looking around. I heard people leaving the exit flap around thirteen minutes into the wait. They were chatting about the show inside. I caught bits and pieces of the conversations. Working it like a jigsaw puzzle, I figured out what was going to happen.

"Oh, gods, Luke," I said, grabbing his arm, "we need to get out of here. This is—"

The tent flap went up.

The crowd surged forward.

We were trapped.

"Hurry, there are seats over there," Luke urged.

"You don't get it, this is a— "

The lights started to dim.

"Dammit," Luke fumed. He grabbed my wrist, dragged me to an open seat, and forced me into the seat next to him. Luckily, I never had to sit there. Unluckily, I was dragged to the back of the tent and made part of the act.

Eventually the show started. A small man with a pointy beard stepped into the middle of the ring. The ring was large and spacious, at least a couple football fields in diameter. The bearded man stepped up to the microphone and spoke in a surprisingly robust voice.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Ultimate Obstacle Course! Will the lucky patron in seat 163 please join me on stage." There was a huge shuffling sound as people turned to look at the number on the back of their chairs. Finally, a tall boy barely in adulthood stood up and made his way down the steps to the ringmaster.

"And what is the name of this sexy devil?" the ringmaster asked. "Well, I tell you that my name is Malachi." Weak laughter, probably people paid to laugh, was scattered. "But seriously, what's your name, boy?"

"Luke Castellan," he said.

"Well, Mr. Luke, You can put this—" he pulled out overalls, a red shirt, and a red hat "—on and try a hand at our obstacle course for a prize of a thousand dollars!"

"I accept," Luke said cockily. I wish that he never accepted that challenge.

"Excellent! While you put that on, I'll tell you a little about the obstacle course. You'll cross this bridge, climb these platforms, off a couple of Goombas, and save Princess Peach. All in under ten minutes. Oh, and there are boxes that contain extra cash. Hit those in a Mario-esque way. Now as Luke makes his way to the starting line, take the time to place your bets on the course or Mario—I mean Luke."

For half-bloods like Luke and me, the obstacles weren't much of a problem. Looking back on it, I admit that any demigod can do this, but only Luke can do it with so much style. As the starting jingle sounded, Luke didn't just cross the thin balance beam (the bridge), but he cartwheeled the entire distance. Jumping from platform to platform was as effortless for him as the video game. And three men in mushroom suits against a trained demigod? I almost pitied them. Luke reached Princess Peach in roughly four minutes. Once he lowered the cage the princess was in, he flung the door open, flipped up the veil and…

…faced me. Yes, ladies and gents, I was the unlucky princess who was captured by Bowser.

"There you are Jackson! Did you see how awesomely I did?" he gloated. I rolled my eyes and tried not to feel the breeze around my legs. Gods, how do girls wear these things? Luke spent about thirty seconds gloating before grabbing my wrist. "C'mon, Percy. Let's go get that prize money."

"Not so fast," Bowser—I mean Malachi—said. "The crowd demands one more thing. What do you want?"

"KISS!" the crowed boomed.

"Absolutely no fucking way," I hissed.

"It's double or nothing now," Bowser teased.

Luke looked at me. "C'mon, it's only for the money. This'll mean nothing later on."

"I refuse to kiss you," I insisted. We argued like this for nearly five minutes when Luke gave up.

"I'm gonna get that prize money whether you like it or not." And with that, he pulled me into a kiss. I closed my eyes and refused to respond to his touch. The crowd cheered behind us. Luke pulled away after what felt like a lifetime later.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Malachi said, looking at the large electronic time keeper on the wall. I did not believe it at all. Our time was 10:00.01. Luke kissed me one tenth of a second too late. I nearly cried, but Luke had no such pride. He wailed like an elephant.

"Since we all feel bad, we'll give you all the money that was bet against you." Apparently, the crowd had little faith in Luke. There was $593.26 against us with only twenty dollars in Luke's favor. It wasn't quite a thousand dollars, but we had something to show to Nico.

I went to the back as the people started leaving. I changed quickly while Luke paced outside. As we left the tent, Nico was waiting at the exit. "Hey guys, how was the show?"

"Fine, but a bit boring," Luke cut in before I could say something along the lines of _horrifyingly scarring_.

"I hope you don't mind, but I'm tired. Can we go home?" The two of us were eager to agree on returning to an empty CHB. I did NOT need any more pressure from the other campers. Luckily, they were still scattered around the country after a monster attack went awry. Thank gods for law enforcement.

Luke and I kept our heads down to avoid being noticed by anybody at the tent, but we had no such luck. We had almost left the grounds when two girls walked up to Luke and asked him to sign a picture. Nico used his puppy eyes (how does he still pull them off?) to look at it. His eyes widened, and he looked at Luke. "You kissed someone else?"

"By the way," one girl said looking straight at me, "that dress is so you." The two walked off screeching—I mean laughing—like harpies. Nico looked at me, then at Luke, then at me again.

"I do not know what happened, but I suggest that you never mention it again." I was all too happy to agree to that.

And so chapter five is over. BTW, I'm taking fic requests. If you think I can do it, then tell me what you want in the review.


	6. Chapter 6 Part 1

The day at the carnival was...well, I'm pretty sure Percy and Luke have plenty of ways to complete this thought, but I thought that day was fun. That is, once I got past the events of the morning.

That morning had started by looking into a mirror-er, well, more at the wall. See, the walls of my cabin are really shiny, so I've always had a mirror no matter which way I turn. From that mirror, I saw myself. Then I saw Luke, sitting up in MY bed clutching MY sheets yelling at MY cousin/possible boyfriend. Confusing, is it not? It may be utterly cheesy to say, but I loved the two of them equally, and it really pained me to see them arguing so early in the morning (never mind that I was yelling as well).

I woke up thinking that these two guys would always be around for me. I hated having to choose, but I never wanted to lose either.

Therein lies the problem.

I'm not ready to lose them. To anyone. I've had to sacrifice over the course of my entire life. Whenever I don't want to give up something, then something bad happens. I loved my mom, and look what happened to her. I never wanted to leave the Lotus Hotel and Casino, and I ended up missing nearly seventy years of living. And when Bianca, the last thing I held dear to me, left...well, I think you know what happened next.

But with them, I had two people who cared about me and were ready to take care of me. Two people who would never let me go. Two people to patch up the holes in my heart created every time I lost yet another thing I held dear.

So when I looked at my singular reflection in the Mirror of Fated Love, it was everything in my power not to shatter it.

Standing alone in my cabin (I kicked Luke out after the bed-soiling incident), I looked at the many reflections of me, all glaring back with the same pain I felt. _Did that mean I'm going to lose them?_ I thought to myself. Looking up, I said, "Huh?" I walked up to one of the walls, and threw a wicked punch at it. None of my bones broke, which really sucked, because that's how I felt. I jerked my hand back and tried to shake off the pain.

"Dammit!" I yelled loudly. I turned my head up, trying to find an answer in the prismatic ceiling. All I saw was myself: broken, alone, and angry. That was the breaking point. I stormed out of the cabin, not even bothering to close the doors. At some point, I broke into a run, tearing through the forest, trying to get away from Camp Half-Blood. Eventually, I couldn't see the cabins anymore, and I stopped, finally letting myself cry.

"Why?" I shouted. "Why? Why? WHY! Why is it always me? Why do _I_ have to give and give and give? Why can't I just take something and keep it forever? WHY CAN'T I AT LEAST KEEP THE ONES I LOVE!" I knew that there was someone-be it god, human, or beast-that heard me, but (just like any good witness) they were too afraid to confront me.

Suddenly, almost cliche-ly, the moon came out from behind the clouds. Equally cliche-ly, I looked up at the moon with tears in my eyes. A figure walked out from behind the clouds and came down to greet me. I stared at the slight figure before quickly averting my eyes to hide my tears.

"Hello, Artemis," I say quietly.

* * *

God, I wish I didn't have to end this here, but I don't have time to post any more. I'll try to get the rest of this to you guys. Thanks for being so patient with my erratic writing and such.


	7. Chapter 6 part 2

Holy crap, I haven't posted in forever. Sorry, my dearest readers, I'll get back to it!

[Insert disclaimer I've been using for the past while]

* * *

"Nico," she said politely, nodding her head at me.

"Why are you here, my lady?" I inquired, wiping away any evidence that I was crying.

"My dear cousin, I heard your cries. I just wanted to be with you." She stepped forward and took me into her embrace. Though I was physically an adolescent, she felt so much smaller compared to me. Maybe that's just my ego speaking. "Nico, just calm down. Love isn't all it's cracked up to be."

A spike of anger ran through me. I wrestled out of her arms. "Calm down?" I spat. "You want me to fucking calm down? I thought you said you heard me." I was beyond the point of caring who I was talking to. "Artemis, I've fallen in love with two amazing guys, and I've just found out that I can't be with either of them. You can't fucking calm down after that. You can hide and hide and hide, but you can't just 'calm down.'" I let out a shaky breath, feeling a tear trace down my cheek. "And don't talk to me about love," I added viciously. "You're the virgin goddess; you've never known love the way I do."

Artemis's face contorted into anger. She stepped forward and slapped me. Time felt like it slowed down; tears were pouring from her eyes too.

"Shut up," she hissed. "Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! You don't know what you're talking about. And I know _exactly_ how you are feeling." She turned, her back facing to me, and looked up at the sky, searching for something. Finally, she spoke. "Have you ever heard of Orion?"

I blinked, surprised at her words. "Yeah," I replied warily, "why?"

She turned to face me. "You said that I'm the virgin goddess, that I've never known love." She sniffled and wiped away a tear. "Yeah, right. I'd have given up my title in a heartbeat if I could.

"Orion was amazing. He was a great hunter. The two of us had plenty of fun times in Crete. See this body?" She gestured to her per-pubescent figure. "There was a time when I never appeared like this. To Orion, I appeared as this." She started to glow, and I looked away quickly. Eventually, the white hot light faded so it didn't burn my skin, and I looked back at her.

Saying I was stunned would have been an understatement. Personally, I play for the other team, but I can appreciate a woman's beauty. Her face was beautiful: all the right proportions, the right colors. It was a masterpiece any artist would be proud of. She was older now, somewhere in her twenties, and had a body to kill for. Lithe, athletic, yet weighted around her bust and hips to create a womanly figure that the Aphrodite girls envied. The white tunic stopped mid thigh, showing off shapely legs.

"Holy Hades," I murmured.

"Yeah," she said. Her voice was low and sexy, exactly like the movies. "Orion liked this form too. Unfortunately, he also liked not having his brains fried by Zeus, so he didn't pursue me, despite any hints I dropped. But I was their precious virgin goddess." She stopped to spit on the floor, wiping away a few tears that ran down her left cheek. "Goddess indeed. What good is all my immortal power if I couldn't have the one I loved?

"I planned to run away with him," she said in a rushed tone, as if afraid that she would lose her nerve if she stopped to think. "We'd elope on some island where Zeus had no power. Such places exist, Nico di Angelo; places where not even the gods can protect you. It wouldn't have mattered. Even if I had to surrender my immortality, the two of us were excellent hunters. We could fend for ourselves.

"I was foolish," she said, looking down. "Aphrodite knew. She knows all. Don't tell anyone, but she might just be the most powerful of us all. She knew the consequences of my going away. I was goddess of the moon, the moon by which she spreads her deadly curse. With no night, love could not function the way it did when night comes. Lovemaking by the moonlight." Artemis stopped to snort derisively. "Disgusting, but Aphrodite eats that crap right up."

I held up my hands, trying to stop her so I could absorb the information. She obliged. I took in a few breaths, allowing the cool midnight air to fill my lungs. The virgin goddess fell in love; more so, she was willing to give up her titles as virgin and goddess for this guy. This defied every Greek myth I had learned. Why would the gods make such a cover up of this? "Go on," I finally said.

"She told my brother, and you know what happens next." She crouched down, taking a flower between her middle and ring fingers. With a slight tug, she pulled the flower out. "It may not look like it, but I was brokenhearted for the longest time. Even today, I long for my Orion. My father was kind enough to preserve him in the stars forever."

"I was wrong," I said quietly. "I am sorry, Lady Artemis. Forgive me." She knew love just as well as anyone did.

"All if forgiven, Nico." She handed me the flower. "This is my reminder to you that everyone has a chance at love. Aphrodite's mirror cannot dictate how or when you express love. Don't be like me: I let her get the best of me." She smiled weakly. "You're a good boy, Nico. You're growing up so fast." Her voice broke on the last word. "I must bid you farewell. It is getting late." And with that she was gone.


End file.
